Mikhail Chigir

Mikhail Nikolayevich Chigir (24 May 1948-) was Prime Minister of Belarus from 21 July 1994 to 18 November 1996, succeeding Vyacheslav Kebich and preceding Sergey Ling.

Biography
Mikhail Chigir was born in Usovo, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union on 24 May 1948, and he served as head of the Belagroprombank agricultural bank before being appointed Prime Minister of Belarus in 1994. In 1996, he resigned in protest over Alexander Lukashenko's attempts to gain unlimited authority over the country, and he planned to run for President in 1999 to unseat Lukashenko. However, Lukashenko had him arrested for embezzlement, and he served three years in prison before the Belarusian government released him due to foreign pressure.